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Meredith Stannard
Meredith Stannard is the main antagonist of Dragon Age 2. Best known as Knight-Commander Meredith, the iron lady of the Templar branch of the Chantry in Kirkwall, Meredith Stannard was born in the white city of chains an orphan. She joined the Templars at a young age, taking solace and comfort in her training, she raised through the ranks quickly. After the passing of the fifth Blight over seas in Fereldan, and the arrival of Hawke in Kirkwall, she aided the people in the defence against the Qunari invasion, though she was too late to witness Hawke defeat the Arishok and become the Champion of Kirkwall. Meredith used the power vaccum to take control of the city, and she began pressuring the mages harder and harder. The more they magic-users resited her violent iron grip, the tighter she squeezed, and the tighter she squeezed, the more the mages rebeled. Tensions rose to a boiling point, and finally ended when the mage freedom fighter Anders blew up the city Chantry removing any hope of compromise. The battle between the mages and templars was a bloody one, but regardless of Hawke's actions, Meredith turned against the Champion. Wielding a blade forged from pure red Lyrium, from a mysterious artifact that plagued Hawke and company since they found it in the Deep Roads, she attacked her allies and enemies alike. With her madness revealed, her supporters quickly turned on each other, and with the help of Zevran, Nathaniel and Cullen, Hawke managed to stop her, her own powers transforming her into a twisted statue in the Gallows. Ironically, her attempt to quell the mages in Kirkwall combined with Anders' actions was the cause of a series of wars breaking out across all of Thedas, and the very world would be put in danger by the feud of the Templars and the Mages. Battle vs. Nightmare (by JWarrior89) Location: Kirkwall Gallows (night) It is late at night in the city of Kirkwall. The streets are deserted, with the exception of the occasional guard on patrol. In the Gallows, Knight-Commander Meredith speaks with some of her Templars. As they are talking, one of the Templars glances upward and notices a shadowy figure watching them from the rooftops. “Knight-Commander!” he yells, pointing. Meredith spins her head around; the figure leaps from his perch, brandishing an enormous sword. Meredith and the Templars draw their weapons; as the figure lands with a crash, one of the knights charges, but a single swing from the warrior’s weapon sends him flying. The other Templars attempt to attack him as well, but are each struck down with a single blow. The mysterious warrior looks up; he is clad in blue armor, except for his right arm, which appears to be some horribly mutated, three-fingered claw. His sword looks like some unnatural mix of metal and flesh, with a large eye in the middle. Meredith’s eyes widen in revulsion as the eye looks right at her. “More,” the warrior growls, “Need more souls!” He swings his blade, but Meredith swiftly blocks it with her Lyrium Sword. The two warriors back away from each other. “What foul Abomination are you!?” Meredith says. “I am Nightmare,” her opponent replies, “and I am a servant of Soul Edge.” He indicates his sword, and the pupil in the eye widens in response. “I care not what you call yourself,” Meredith growls, “I will not allow you to threaten this city!” Nightmare chuckles. “You have a strong will,” he says, “Your soul will strengthen Soul Edge greatly.” Meredith’s eyes flame with anger. “I am a servant of the Maker,” she yells, “and I will not fall to something as pathetic as you!” “You conceited wretched human!” Nightmare shouts, swinging his sword, but Meredith blocks the blow. “Maker, give your servant the strength to defeat this evil!” she says, and her Lyrium sword begins to glow with a strange, red light. With a yell, she shoves Nightmare away, causing him to stagger back a few feet. Nightmare’s eyes widen as he stares at the glowing sword. “That is no ordinary weapon,” he says, “it contains an amazing power, almost as strong as Soul Edge itself! Once you are dead, I will absorb its power, along with your soul, into Soul Edge, and the world will tremble at my feet!” With a yell, Meredith lunges forward, and Nightmare does the same. Their blades clash together, neither warrior giving any ground. Nightmare swings for Meredith’s legs, but she blocks the strike, responding with a swing at Nightmare’s neck. Nightmare ducks to avoid the blow, striking Meredith in the chest with Soul Edge. Her armor shields her from the blow, but she is knocked backwards. Nightmare immediately goes for the kill, but Meredith rolls out of the way, swinging her Lyrium Sword. Nightmare yells in pain as the blade leaves a long gash in his mutated arm, giving Meredith enough time to get to her feet. She aims for Nightmare’s head, but he blocks it, responding spinning Soul Edge in a series of vertical slices, Meredith blocking each one. Meredith swings her sword again, and Nightmare once again ducks to avoid its arc. Meredith follows through with a stab, but Nightmare leans out of the way, grabs her outstretched arms, and smacks her across the face with the flat side of Soul Edge. Meredith is sent crashing to the ground, her sword falling a few feet away. Nightmare chuckles, “Somehow I expected more. You are supposed to be the protector of this city?” Meredith spits out some blood and glares at Nightmare. “Silence, Abomination!” she yells. “I don’t know what an Abomination is,” Nightmare replies, “but I do know one thing; my mission to restore Soul Edge will be a lot easier now with the added power of your enchanted blade. However,” he says, raising Soul Edge above his head, “I still have one more soul to collect first.” As he swings Soul Edge downward, Meredith lunges over, grabs her Lyrium Sword, and manages to block the strike. However, Nightmare presses down, the edge of his blade getting closer to Meredith’s face. Literally inches from death, Meredith lets out a savage yell, and her sword’s red glow intensifies. With a huge shove, she throws Nightmare off her, sending him to the floor. As they rise to their feet, Nightmare’s eyes widen in shock. Meredith’s eyes are now glowing red! She glares at Nightmare with an inhuman fury, and for a second, the evil knight is afraid. He quickly forces the feeling from his mind, however, and readies Soul Edge for battle. To his surprise, Meredith suddenly levitates a few inches, the toes of her boots just above the ground. She raises her own sword, and suddenly dashes forward, leaving a trail of fire behind her. Caught off guard, Nightmare is struck and falls to the floor. Meredith stops, turns around, and dashes again. Nightmare quickly gets to his feet and swings Soul Edge; however, Meredith jumps over the blade’s arc, actually landing on the roof of the building behind him. She then jumps off, Nightmare running forward to meet her head on. As she lands, the stabs her Lyrium Sword into the ground; this sends a shockwave of energy that blasts Nightmare into the wall. Disoriented, Nightmare quickly shakes his head and looks up. Meredith, still floating inches above the ground, raises her sword, and Nightmare knows she is preparing for the final blow. She dashes forward, but Nightmare rolls out of the way, Meredith’s Lyrium sword sticking into the wall. She quickly pulls it out and turns to face Nightmare, but Nightmare punches her in the jaw. He then uppercuts her, launching her into the air. He sticks Soul Edge into the ground, which creates a red sphere of energy to absorb her soul. However, Meredith, midair, extends her arm and uses one of her Templar abilities, Cleanse, which dispels the orb. As she falls, she manages to grab her sword, and as she lands, she swings downward. Nightmare cries out in pain as his mutated right arm is severed and lands on the ground. Meredith swings her sword again, striking Nightmare in the chest and sending him sprawling to the floor. Nightmare struggles to crawl away, but Meredith firmly plants her boot on his chest, pinning him in place. Nightmare’s eyes widen as she raises her Lyrium Sword one final time. “I shall be rewarded for this,” she says, “in this life and the next!” She stabs downward, breaching Nightmare’s armor and piercing his heart. He yells in agony, which quickly turns into a death rattle, as his head falls backwards and he lays still. Meredith pulls out her blade from Nightmare’s corpse and approaches Soul Edge, still stuck in the ground. “This… thing… is an affront to the Maker!” she says, and pierces the eye of the blade with her sword, destroying it. Winner: Meredith. Expert's Opinion While Nightmare was powerful, Meredith was judged to be the faster warrior. In addition, the superhuman abilities she gained from the power of her Lyrium Sword, as well as her abilities as a Templar, gave her the edge over the demonic knight. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Warriors Category:Video Game Warriors Category:BioWare Warriors Category:Female Warriors Category:Fictional Warriors Category:Fantasy Warriors Category:Special Forces Warriors Category:Human Warriors Category:Dragon Age Warriors